Catching up
by Cendrielle
Summary: Jin comes to see Xiaoyu 3 years after he last talked to her. How will she react ? And what will happen between them ?
1. Jin

**Catching up  
**

Hi everyone, I'm french and this is my first english fanfic, so I apoligize if I make some grammatical mistakes or else but I promise I'll do my best! I'm still working on how the story will turn out but here's one chapter to start .

_Summary _: This story takes place 3 years after Tekken 3.  
Jin comes to see Xiaoyu three years after he last talk to her.

Oh, and one last thing : I don't own Tekken, too bad for me…

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_Chapter One._

Three years. Three years had passed. And now, here he stood, on her balcony. The French window was opened and the curtains were drawn, allowing a refreshing breeze to enter the apartment. He was hiding half behind them and half behind the wall, this way he was still able to look inside without being caught.

Not knowing what to do he was just waiting, after all he hadn't seen her yet.

And then, she came, and he gasped in amazement.

Walking in front of him was a Chinese female, her brown hair was in one mid-high ponytail, and she was wearing a slight pinky shirt and an unbuckled blue jean. She was no longer a girl. No, now she was a young woman.

Ling Xiaoyu, the cheerful and childish girl he knew, she grew up.

'_Oh come on! What did you expect?_' the little voice inside him chided.

'Dammit, not again...' Jin thought closing his eyes, annoyed.

'_It's been 3 years Kazama, 3 damn years. Of course she grew up. And, well, she filled out too…Man, look at these curves…'_

'What the hell are you saying? This is Xiaoyu, the girl who always wore her hair in pigtails remember? I used to think of her more like a little sister.'

'_Oh please spare me that! A little sister? Yeah, sure. No one's sister got these kinds of curves, come on look at that tight jean…'_

'Shut up! I am NOT thinking that!'

'_Oh really? Then why are you still standing here staring at her in the cold like the dumbass you are!'_

'…'

'_That's it! You're a fucking coward!'_

'I said shut up! You stupid voice!'

But as bad as Jin tried to ignore the little voice he knew that was true, and it was very infuriating.

'Rghh this wasn't the plan.' He thought, frustrated, 'I wasn't supposed to feel like that, she wasn't supposed to look like that…'

'_Err sorry you forgot: she wasn't supposed to look so HOT... '_

'And I wasn't supposed to be chatting with my own DAMN MIND!'

'_Just pointing it out. Come on get a grip, just go in and say 'hi' '_

'What am I five?'

'_Sometimes I wonder…'_

'You, shut the hell up! Go back to where you use to be when you're not bothering me!'

'_And AGAIN he blames me! I can't believe it! Just trying to help, you're such an ungrateful person, you're not even worth my help.'_

'Yeah, sure. Just leave.'

Lost in his confused thoughts, Jin hadn't noticed that he was in fact mumbling to himself. But Xiao had. When he saw her stiffen a little, he closed his mouth quickly praying she hadn't heard anything. He waited patiently and then she went back to whatever she was doing.

Jin held a sigh of relief.

'That was close.'

He then buried his head in his hands in an attempt to soothe himself.

'It's now or never.'

But before Jin had the time to think twice or to react, the curtains shot open, someone grabbed him by the shoulders and slammed him against the wall.

'Ouch! That hurts…' he thought painfully.

The girl was ready to yell at the intruder spying on her when suddenly, her face softened and her beautiful brown eyes grew wide as she recognized the supposedly intruder.

'Jin…?'

**TBC….**

**

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**

A/N : How was it? Good, bad? Let me know what you're thinking !


	2. Xiaoyu

Hey! I'm back with chapter 2! This one is Xiaoyu's POV, I'm not sure if I like it but I feel like I had to write it anyway. But don't worry, the confrontation is coming!

I'd like to thank my two reviewers **Kaze Musouka** and **henred5,** you're the first so Merci, I'm very touched! Hope you'll like this chapter.

I don't own Tekken, but you already know that, don't you?

* * *

_Chapter Two._

"I need a shower"

This was the first thing Ling Xiaoyu said when she entered her apartment that evening. She quickly took off her jacket and her shoes and threw her purse on the couch.

Then she went straight to the bathroom to take a well-deserved hot shower. Removing her clothes she stepped into the tub and relaxed under the sweet caress of the water on her porcelain skin.

After long minutes of pure bliss, Xiaoyu wrapped herself in a towel and left the bathroom heading for her room to pick some clothes. She chose a pink cotton shirt and a blue jean, put them on and tied her hair in one ponytail.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled, satisfied.

Feeling relaxed she made her way to the lounge and opened the French window to let some fresh air in. She drew the curtains and inhaled deeply.

'_Now I need a hot chocolate'_ she thought grinning.

She was making her way to the kitchen when her phone rang. She quickly ran to take it from her bag but couldn't find it.

'Crap! Where did I put it again! ' she mumbled angrily as she turned her bag upside down, spilling all the contents on the floor. The little device finally fell to the floor with a soft 'thump' still ringing. Xiao took it, annoyed, and answer it.

'Yeah?'

'Hey darling'

'Hwoa! How you doing?'

'Mm not so bad, you?'

'Fine, just came back from some shopping.'

'Got something for me?'

'Yeah…a brain.'

'Very funny'

'Just kidding. So what you calling for?'

'Just wondering if you'd like to go out for dinner tonight, I'm kinda bored.'

'Sounds great but I'm really tired, besides I got school tomorrow.'

'Ah yeah, I forgot. Okay, doesn't matter. What do you say I pick you up at noon tomorrow at your university and then we can have lunch?'

'Yeah, that's good!'

'Perfect. I see ya tomorrow.'

'Ok bye!'

Xiaoyu hung up the phone and was about to go prepare that hot chocolate when she heard a noise like someone mumbling on her balcony. She paused for a moment to listenand then shook her head in denial.

'_Must have been the wind'_

She smiled at how anxious she was.

'_As if there was a crazed killer hiding behind the curtains waiting the perfect moment to come and strangle me!_' she chided herself_' You're watching too much TV Xiaoyu my dear_.'

She started walking again but then the mumbling starts again. She looked discreetly over her shoulder and saw the shape of someone disappearing behind the wall.

Xiaoyu whole body stiffened.

'_Okay, now there is someone_.'

She quietly approached the window, hands trembling a little.

'_Calm down Xiao, there's nothing to worry about. You know how to fight remember?_' she tried to reassured herself.

She made sure not to be caught and when she was close enough she violently shot the curtains open, grabbed the intruder by the shoulders, and pulled him hard against the wall of her apartment.

Xiao opened her mouth to shout when she suddenly recognized the handsome man in front of her.  
A man she used to have a crush on, a man she thinks about so many times in a day, a man she thought she wasn't going to see again…

Her eyes widened.

"Jin…?"

**TBC…**

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A/N : Ah yeah I'm cruel I know. Next chapter will be the confrontation ! Anyway tell me if it was good. 


	3. Face to face

Yay chapter 3! And look, it's a big one, very long! I worked a lot on it, I was never satisfied but I think I like it the way it is now.  
Anyway, hope you 'll like it too...

A big thanks to all my reviewers! I'm really glad that you guys like my story !

On with the story...

* * *

_Chapter three_

"_Jin…?"_

He just looked at her.

She had just pronounced his name. She was still holding him. And he was just looking at her. Time froze while they stared intently in each other's eyes.  
Finally Xiaoyu released the hold she had on Jin little by little, never breaking eye contact. And suddenly he did the most incredible thing that surprised both him and her.

Jin threw his arms around Xiaoyu and pulled her in a tight hug, closing his eyes at the same time.  
Xiaoyu's eyes became wider, if possible. She remained motionless, shocked.

'I'm holding her, I'm holding Xiaoyu, no I'm hugging her. Since when did I become so bold?' Jin thought amazed.

Just when Jin became aware of what he had done, and that he should release her, he felt Xiaoyu move.  
She slowly lifted her small arms to rest on his shoulders. Then she timidly locked them behind his neck to draw him closer.  
They stayed like that for what seems like hours simply enjoying each other's warmth .

Jin finally spoke.

"Xiaoyu…"

It was merely spoken, just above a whisper but she heard it. And she shivered when his breathe gently caressed the skin of her neck. How she had miss him.

They broke apart and Xiaoyu smiled at Jin.

"Hey" she said teasingly.

Jin smiled a little. She was not mad at him, he had expected her to yell at him, ask him why he left … He should have known better.  
Gently, she reached out to touch his cheek.

"It's really you. Jin. How did you get here? Where have you been? What...I was..." She stopped abruptly when Jin starts to frown.  
She took off her hand and sighed deeply.

"Okay, why don't we take a sit and you can... talk to me a little?" she smiled.

"Yeah, sounds good."

"Okay, here, sit on the couch, I'll go and get us something to drink." She smiled before turning around.

In the kitchen Xiaoyu leaned against the counter trying to regain her composure.

'Ok, calm down, breathe. It's just Jin sitting on _my_ couch in _my_ lounge, nothing to be so stressed about….Except it's **Jin** .'

'_Precisely, and you can't deny the fact that you still have that flutter in your stomach when you see him.'_

'Crap, what am I going to say to him?'

Three years before, she would have known, but now things had changed, she had. She wasn't even sure if she was mad at him for letting her without a word. She thought she was, but she was too happy to see him again to feel any anger.

She looked at her hands : they were trembling.

When she came back Jin was sitting on the couch somewhat embarrassed. She set the two cup of hot chocolate she had prepared on the coffee table and sat next to him.

An awkward silence then settled between them while Jin looked anywhere but at Xiaoyu. Not bearing it anymore she carefully cleared her throat before speaking.

"You know you scared me, I thought you were some kind of a stalker." she joked.

"Yeah, I noticed, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Why didn't you come by the door?"

"Didn't feel like knocking." He simply answered.

Xiaoyu raised her eyebrows.

"I…I wasn't sure how you would react."

She shrugged.

"Well yeah, it's been three years Jin. Still, I'm glad you're here. I don't know how you find me or why you came here tonight, but I'm glad you did."

"Who else could I visit?" he winced '_Not the right thing to say dumbass_.'

"True."

Silence.

"Jin, where have you been?"

"Err…I've been…around."

Okay so he was definitely not in the mood to talk. Well, she didn't care, it has been three years, three damn years without a word or something informing her he was fine, except that e-mail she wasn't even sure he had wrote! She felt her anger slowly rising up inside her.

"Oh, and where exactly is 'around'?"

She was getting annoyed, Jin knew it. 'Shit.'

"Overseas."

"Overseas? You've been overseas for three years?"

"Yes, mostly in Australia."

"Nice." She said sarcastically. "To do what? And by the way, were you the one who sent me that e-mail?"

He didn't respond, just looked away.

"Jin. Did you send me that e-mail?" she asked again, slowly.

"Xiaoyu, please, not now." Jin pleaded.

That was too much.

"Damn Jin!" Xiaoyu exploded, standing up. "What do you think! I haven't seen you in three years, I didn't know if you were okay! Do you have any idea how it was for me? I was so worried, you went away without a word…I..." her voice faded and her eyes filled with hurt. "I thought we were friends Jin…I…" _'loved you?'_ cared about you."

"Tell me…what am I supposed to do now?" she lifted her head to look at him.

Jin felt so guilty, he had caused her pain he knew it, he had just never realised how much his departure had affected her. She had been his only friend, always trying to cheer him up with her beautiful smile and her two pigtails. And when he met her eyes, glistening with tears, all he wanted to do was go back. At that moment Jin wished he had never left her, but inside him he knew he couldn't have done otherwise.

He stood up.

"I…" he started but she cut him.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"No. I'm the one who should be sorry."

"Listen Jin, I…"

This time he cut her.

"Xiao I'm sorry. I really am."

Xiaoyu smiled softly at the use of her nickname.

"I…I just don't want to talk about that, not tonight. I promise I will do. But just not tonight."

He tilted his head to one side.

"You okay with that?" he asked smirking a little.

She just couldn't resist him.

"Yes sir."

A smile.

"Perfect."

They sat back on the couch and sipped their drink silently. Xiaoyu then looked up at Jin.

"So, do you have a place where to stay?"

**TBC...**

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A/N : Sooo what do you think? I need to know :) 


	4. Goodnight

I'm so sorry for the late update! I'll try to put chapter five next wednesday I promise !

Thanks to everyone who's reviewing, it means a lot.

I don't own Tekken blahblahblah...

* * *

_Chapter four ._

"_So do you have a place where to stay?"_

Jin was taken aback.

"Err yeah, I mean no, I mean…" a faint smile. "I'll probably take a room in a hotel."

"When, now? It's late, I'm not sure you'll find something."

Jin shrugged.

"Yeah, well, guess I have to try."

"Hmm."

"Don't you have any bags?"

"Just one, I.. um.. let it fall when you…"

"Oh okay." Xiaoyu blushed a little. "Travelling light are we?"

Jin grinned.

"Of course."

Xiaoyu smiled back.

She took the two now empty cups and stood up to bring them in the kitchen.

"Well you know, you can stay over for tonight…That is if you want it."

Jin looked up at her, stunned.

"Well I..I mean if…if you don't find any room." she stammered. '_Why did I ask him anyway?'_

Jin just kept on looking at her, dumbfounded. '_Think quick, think quick, what to say?_'  
Taking is silence as a 'no', Xiaoyu opened her mouth to talk. '_Why does he always have to do that?'_

"If you don't want ju…"

"I'd love to."he cut her.

He smiled.

"I mean, we used to sleep under the same roof, right?"

"Riight."

They looked at each other for a moment then Xiaoyu bit her lip.

"Ok, get your bag, I'll put these in the kitchen." She said mentioning the two cups she was still holding.

_-- A moment later --_

"You can sleep in my room, I take the couch…"

"No way, you keep your bed." Jin said firmly.

Xiaoyu looked at him.

"Why?"

"Because. I can't sleep in a girl's room." he stated.

"Oh, I see…"she said giggling a little. "You take the couch then."

Jin nodded and Xiaoyu turned around to getready for bed.

"Oh and if you need something don't be afraid to rummage in the cupboards ok? I'll be in the bathroom."

"Ok no prob."

She smiled before disappearing in the corridor.

Once she was ready Xiaoyu went to the lounge to check on Jin. He was sitting on the couch and was wearing a grey t-shirt and black loose pants. Xiaoyu took her time to study him, he was still as handsome as he was three years ago, even more if possible. She took a deep breath and talk.

"Everything's okay?"

Jin turned to look at her and couldn't help but notice the lack of clothes she was wearing : white tank top and matching shorts.

"Y..yeah everything's okay."

She smiled and sat next to him. Jin gulped. _' Just don't look down and everything will be okay.'_

"Well if you need a drink there is fresh water in the fridge."

"O..ok."

"Jin I..I'm really glad to see you, really."

He gsmiled genuinely and kissed her on the forehead.

"Goodnight Xiao." He murmured softly against her skin.

Without thinking she sneaked her arms behind his neck and hugged him.

"Goodnight Jin."

Then she stood up and went to her bedroom.

_'Oh it will be a good night, that's for sure._' Jin thought before lying down.

**TBC...**

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**A/**N: More action in the next chap, promise! Don't forget Hwoarang... 

See you guys!


	5. Oops

OMG I'm soooo sorry! I know it's a so late update but I got so many exams, awful! I'm terribly sorry smiles apologetically  
I didn't read this chapter twice cause I wanted to post it as soon as possible so I hope there isn't too much mistakes.

Love you all!

* * *

_Chapter five_

The morning after Jin woke up feeling truly relaxed. He looked over at the clock and blinked a few times before standing up quickly, it was already 9 in the morning. He made the bed swiftly and headed for Xiaoyu's bedroom when he saw her standing in the kitchen.

'_So she's already awake, why didn't she awake me?'_

Still a little bit sleepy he headed for the bathroom to wash his face. He returned 5 minutes later feeling more awake as he entered the kitchen. He took 2 more minutes to observe her then he approached her silently from behind.

"Morning." He said when he was just behind her.

She nearly jumped from surprise. She turned around to see him smiling mischievously.

"Jin! Oh my god ! Never do that again!" she exclaimed

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." He said mockingly.

She narrowed her eyes.

"Soo, I guess you slept well since you're in a so good mood today" she commented sarcastically.

"Yeah, your couch isn't that bad" he answered still grinning.

She shook her head giggling.

"You're impossible"

Jin's smile only grew large.

"So what's for breakfast?"

"Well there is milk, orange juice, toasts, eggs…that kind of things."

"American breakfast?"

"Yes" she answered smiling "I like them, it's ok with you?"

"Of course"

"Okay then, let's eat!"

They talked a lot while eating, of different things and they both appreciated that. It was like old times when Xiaoyu talked a lot and Jin answered, but this time had something different because Jin was talking too and it warmed her to see him more open.

"So what are you doing today?"

"Well I got classes in one hour."

"Oh you're going to the university?"

"Yes, since last year."

"Hum 'kay. At what time do you finish?"

"For lunch, I'm free at 12."

"Only two hours?"

"Well err to be true I should be in class right now but I didn't go."

"Why?"

"Because I didn't want you to wake up alone."

"It's nice, really, but you should have gone."

"Nah its okay, I won't have any problems."

"Ok, if you say so."

"Well I better go if I don't want to be late." She said standing up.

"Oh yeah right."

Xiaoyu put on her coat and started rummaging through her things to put papers in her bag.

"Well you can meet up with me for lunch at my school, the address is right here on the table." She pointed to a little post-it on the kitchen table still looking down on her bag. Jin took it and read the address, he was about to speak when she talk,

"Okay I'm ready, I see ya later, bye!"

And with that she was gone. Jin stood there with the piece of paper in his hand not knowing what to do.

'_Okay man you got two hours to fill in.'_

Xiaoyu reached the university and started walking faster as she saw the hall almost empty but just as she started to run up the stairs her phone rang. She answered it quickly.

"Yeah?"

"Hey sweetie"

"Oh Hwoarang, hey, I'm sorry but I'm in a hurry."

"Ah you're in class?"

"Almost"

"Ok, so it's still ok for today?"

"What?"

"Today. Remember, I pick you up at noon and we have lunch ? I called you yesterday"

She stopped abruptly in her tracks.

"Xiao, hello, it's still okay?"

'_Oh shit…'_

**TBC…**

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**A/N : **Okay, notthat long I admit but, hey, it's getting interesting, isn't it?  
Well this time I'll try to update sooner, I'll do my best!


	6. A lunch and a mistake

Hi everybody ! To apologise for my oh so late update I tried to write a long chapter so I hope it'll sort of make up for it ...  
I already wrote chapter seven so basically it just needs to be typed on my computer, I'll post it asap !

Now, on with the story...

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_Chapter six_

"_Xiao, hello, it's still okay?"_

'_Oh shit…'_

_---_

'_Shit shit shit shit shit'_ she thought, _'How come I totally forgot about this!'_

"Err Hwo? Listen I totally forgot but I planned something else, promise we'll do that another time ok?"

"What? Eh you bastard!" she heard him shout to some guy "Ok Xiao I can't talk to you right now I see ya at noon, bye!"

"What, no! Hwo! Wait!"

Too late, he hung up.

_'Oh damn why me?'_ Xiao thought desperately as she entered her classroom.

Jin was sprawled on Xiaoyu's couch, the TV was on but he wasn't really watching it. Actually he was looking at the little clock on the coffee table.

11:15

Thirty minutes left until he could go and meet up with Xiaoyu.

_'I'm sooo bored'_ Jin thought.

He was here since Xiaoyu left one hour and a half ago. Slowly he stood up and turned the TV off, he put his shoes and grabbed his jacket.

_'Better wait at Xiao's school than shut myself away in a flat.'_

Meanwhile Xiaoyu was paying no attention to her teacher, she was wondering on how she could drag herself out of this situation. She looked at her watch, it said 11:55 .

She wondered if Jin and Hwoarang were already there and if they had met.

_'Which would be worse : Jin catching me with Hwoarang or Hwoarang catching me with Jin ? I don't even want to think about it.'_

Her train of thoughts was interrupted when the bell rang. Xiaoyu quickly took her things and ran down the stairs. She reached the hall and caught sight of Jin leaned casually on the wall waiting for her, a lot of girls were watching him closely wondering who he was here for. Her lips twitched up in a mischievous smile and she made her way towards Jin. The girls were now looking at her as she put her hand on his arm.

"Hey there"

"Oh, hey!" he answered, startled "didn't see you coming."

"I just finished. Have you been here long?"

"No I just arrived" He lied.

She smiled.

"So, where you wanna go?"

"I don't know, there are some good restaurants around here."

"Okay, you choose."

"Hum first we gotta get out of here" she looked around, almost all the girls were staring at her with flaming eyes "too many people" she whispered smiling lightly.

Once they were out, Jin and Xiaoyu looked at each other, smiling awkwardly.

_'Ookayy Xiao, now you got to say something come on'_

"Errr I gotta do something before we eat ok?" Xiaoyu said breaking the eye contact.

"Yeah sure, no problem. Look, what if you do whatever you have to do and then you meet me up at this restaurant?" Jin said, pointing a small restaurant at the end of the street.

"Ok, that one's good"

Jin smiled and headed towards the building.

Xiaoyu took her phone out of her pocket and started dialling Hwoarang number but before she could finish she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Hey hey sunshine !" Hwoarang grinned.

Xiaoyu spun round, startled.

"Hwoa ! You scared me !"

Hwoarang just grinned at her and looked at the phone in her hands

"Soo, I see you were about to call me…missing me already? That's so sweet of you Xiao really I'm touched." He put a hand on his chest in mock emotion

"Yeah yeah, in your dreams ", Xiaoyu drawled

He shook his head laughing;

"Well it's good to see you too sunshine"

She just scowled at him. Suddenly Hwoarang's face became serious and he bent his head to one side.

"Listen, I've something to tell you"

"Yeah err me too"

She quickly took a glance at the restaurant Jin has gone to and noticed with relief that the place seemed to be crowded with people and that he was still inside. She turned and look back at Hwoarang.

"Well something's up, I have to cancel our cosy lunch" He said slightly embarrassed

"Really? Why?" Xiaoyu asked surprised

"You see there's that girl, Asuka, I met her a couple of days ago, we talked a bit, exchanged numbers and you see she called me yesterday and, well, insisted that we had lunch today. I couldn't really say no."

"She _insisted_?" Xiaoyu asked sceptically

"Hey you can't really blame the girl Xiao: I'm hot, no one can resist me" He finished grinning widely.

"Well no one except me" she pointed

"That's because I'm not trying to date you" He simply stated

"Yeah right, as if"

After a silence Hwoarang asked:

"Soo you're angry?"

She looked up to him and he made a puppy dog face. She burst of laughing while he grinned, satisfied.

"How can I be mad a you when you're making this face!"

"How can you be mad at me at all?" he said, throwing his hands in the air

"True" Xiaoyu admitted "Just like I can't stay mad at Jin" she muttered to herself but unfortunately Hwoarang heard her. He made a face then put an arm around her shoulders and whispered

" You know if you don't stop talking about Jin I'll start being jealous, the guy has all your attention and he's not even here! I'm feeling rejected" he pouted

Xiaoyu rolled her eyes

"Stop behaving like a child, it's not like that and you know it"

Hwoarang still pouted and Xiaoyu felt she could make an effort for him, plus, Jin might came out the restaurant at anytime. She put her pride aside and said

"Hwoa you know you represent a lot for me don't be silly"

"Right?"

Xiaoyu rolled her eyes again, "Of course!"

He smiled happily

"You know, it's probably the first emotional moment we ever shared…makes me wanna cry"

She raised her eyebrows at him and he lifted is hand in surrender.

"Alright alright I get that, I'd better go and make another girl's life wonderful"

"That's it, keep telling yourself that Casanova"

" She talked !" He flashed her a smile and kissed her nose.

"See you later beautiful"

Xiaoyu returned the smile and waved at him as he drove away on his bike. She then turned around and spotted Jin coming her way, he was looking at the bags in his hands and she wondered if he had seen Hwoarang.

Jin finally lifted his head and his eyes met Xiaoyu's, he smiled and she felt herself melting.

"Took you long enough" she teased, "What's that?"

"Well the place was crowded with people so I had to order a takeaway lunch, I thought we could eat at your apartment"

"Ok, good idea, let's go then."

°°°

They arrived at the apartment and Xiaoyu set the table. They ate calmly in the living-room exchanging a few words, actually there were so many questions that were burning Xiaoyu's lips but she knew that forcing Jin into answering her would lead her to nothing good, she wanted him to tell her everything when he'll feel ready.

When they finished Xiaoyu took their plates and put them in the washing machine, Jin joined her in the kitchen and leaned against the counter.

"So," he said "what's next?"

Turning to face him she thought a moment before answering.

"Euhm well I could show you around but I'm afraid that might be a little bit boring you know." She smiled. " There's really not much to see."

"I see…anything else?"

"Hum I really don't know. What would you like?"

"Well you know I'm not too good with people so why just not simply stay here?"

_'Stay here and do **what**?_' Xiaoyu thought _'it's not like we're gonna sit on the couch and share memories, ain't Jin's style. So what are we gonna do alone in my oh so entertaining apartment! Oh I hate this situation sooo much!'_

Just as Xiaoyu was about to answer a reluctant 'yes' to Jin her phone started ringing.

"I get that" Xiaoyu called over her shoulder to Jin who slowly followed her and slumped in the armchair next to the window.

"Hello?"

"Hey sunshine" Hwoarang's voice came out happily.

"Hey again, your date's already over?"

"Yeah, short but intense" he replied knowingly

"I take it you spend a great time with your girl?"

"Oh yeah and guess what I…." he stopped abruptly and Xiaoyu frowned.

"Hwoa? Hey you're still there?" She was starting to panick when Hwoarang finally spoke.

"Xiao, is there someone with you?" his voice now was serious.

Xiaoyu looked at Jin and took notice of where he was sitting with anguish.

"What are you talking about Hwoa? Where are you?"

"Down your building"

"What! What are you doing here?" she asked panicked.

"Just thought I would come to tell you about Asuka" he summed up quickly still looking up at Xiaoyu's flat on the third floor. Then after a moment

'Xiao tell me I'm wrong cause I think I'm seeing Kazama just sitting in your lounge…"

And then again all coherent words Xiaoyu could form in her head were _'Oh shit'_

**TBC…**

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A/N : I know nothing much is happening but I promise it'll get better in the next chapters! Tell me if you still like it or how you'd like it !


	7. Hwoarang and Jin

A promise is a promise and here's chapter seven !  
I want to thank you all for your great reviews, I'm sooo glad you like this story. So I'm gonna say this again : Thank you !

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_Chapter seven_

'_Xiao tell me I'm wrong cause I think I'm seeing Kazama just sitting in your lounge…"_

_And then again all coherent words Xiaoyu could form in her head were 'Oh shit'_

---

"WHAT! You're kidding me!"

Xiaoyu had to move her phone away from her ear if she cherished her hearing.

"Hwoa, would you calm down!"

"But you HAVE to be kidding me!"

"No, I'm NOT."

There was no answer on the phone and Xiaoyu sighed heavily. _'This is going to be hard'_

Suddenly Hwoarang's voice rang through the phone.

"I'm coming"

"What? No!"

But he had already hung up.

"Is there something wrong?"

Jin's voice made Xiaoyu jump, she turned to face him.

"I'm not sure" she answered truly.

He frowned slightly at the expression on her face and then they heard someone knocking strongly at the door. Xiao sighed again and went for the door. She hesitated for a second and finally opened it.

As soon as the door was opened, Hwoarang stepped in the living-room and looked everywhere.

"Where is he?" he asked more to himself than to Xiaoyu.

And he didn't have to wait for her answer as he spotted Jin at the exact same place where he had recognized him in the first place. He stopped.

"Well well well, what a surprise."

Jin grinned mischievously.

"So you're back uh? It was about time. And where have you been ? Don't tell me you've been hiding to cry on the oh so sad destiny of your family"

Jin's eyes darken.

"Hwoarang please…" Xiaoyu said threateningly, but he ignored her.

"I've been around. And you'd better don't talk about things you can't get"

"I see you haven't change a bit, you're still a real arrogant jerk who can help but get touchy when it comes to his life" Hwoarang threw at Jin.

"I just don't see how MY life is any of your business. And you haven't changed as well snooper, and I bet you still punched like a girl" Jin provoked, smirking widely.

"It's when you want for me to show you Kazama" Hwoarang growled

"And again we come back to this" Jin sighed " Sorry but, as I said before, I don't have time to waste with you"

"Oh right, I'm sure you got more _thrilling_ things to do" his voice was sarcastic but his eyes showed a little worry and he cast a very quick glance at Xiaoyu. Jin saw it and grinned.

"You have no idea"

Hwoarang was fuming and Jin was so enjoying it. That's the moment Xiaoyu chose to interrupt their little chitchat before things get worse.

"Okay, I think that's enough" they both looked at her innocently "both of you." She finished.

Hwoarang turned to her.

"Well Xiao you could have told me your **boyfriend** was back"

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Sorry, wasn't on my list of priorities."

Strangely, Jin felt kind of glad that she hadn't correct Hwoarang's word "boyfriend", but he chose to think that she had only let it pass to annoy him.  
Meanwhile, a wicked smile appeared on Hwoarang's face as he thought about a way of paying Jin's back.

"What, sunshine? Are you saying that I'm not your priority anymore? I'm wounded." He faked a hurt look.

This time it was Xiaoyu's turn to fume.

"Only when it's for kicking your sorry ass" she said through gritted teeth.

"And I know you love it"

"What?" she asked annoyed

"My ass of course!" He said, wriggling his eyebrows.

Xiaoyu rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, just get out of here Hwoa"

He chuckled at her frustrated expression but noticed it was really hard for her to deal with the two of them. He decided it was actually a good time to leave but not without a last comment.

"Alright, your wish are my command" He turned to Jin "It was nice seeing you again Kazama, I'm so happy you're back" He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Yeah, looking forward our next encounter" Jin replied.

"Count on it"

And with that he resigned to leave. Xiaoyu closed the door sighing desperately. She massaged her temples and turned to her "boyfriend".

"Jin, I'm really sorry about that. It wasn't supposed to…"

"Don't worry" He cut in "In fact it was quite funny…**sunshine**" He added pointedly while moving to the couch.

"Oh please can we talk about something else?" she pleaded as she let herself drop next to him.

He looked down sweetly at her and his voice was soft when he talk.

"Okay, anything you want"

She let her head fall his shoulder and closed her eyes.

**TBC…**

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**A/N : **Okay, so Hwoarang knows Jin's back and he's not really happy with that. I'm still working on the next chap but I should be able to finish it soon since I've not many homework to do for now. See you very soon then ;)


	8. A step forward

Hi, back with chapter 8 for this new year ( I'm a little bit late but still...) !  
Thank you all for the reviews, they make me so joyful! and so sorry for the long wait (I know, I'm such a lazy person) ...

To answer Irish-Mexican and NCTekken08 : Hwoarang and Xiaoyu are just friends, no love affair between them ;)

* * *

_Chapter eight_

"_Oh please can we talk about something else?" she pleaded as she let herself drop next to him._

_He looked down sweetly at her._

"_Okay, anything you want"_

_She let her head fall his shoulder and closed her eyes._

_--------_

It had been 3 weeks since the encounter between Jin and Hwoarang had happened and everything seemed to be just fine with them. Of course Hwoarang was being all grumpy about it and he wouldn't stop teasing Xiaoyu with his allusions but the two of them were trying to go along.

Xiaoyu was now on holiday and Jin living in his own flat. Since he had decided to stay in town, he couldn't keep on sleeping on Xiaoyu's couch and living under the same roof as her was starting to get a little bit…well, uncomfortable.

Xiaoyu was washing some dishes when someone knocked at the door.

"Who is it?" she yelled over her shoulder.

"Hey Xiao, it's me" she heard Jin's voice reply.

"Come on in, it's open!"

She heard the sound of the door being closed and minutes later she felt his presence behind her. She turned.

"You shouldn't let your door unlocked, could be dangerous" Jin said as he entered the kitchen.

"Well I let it unlocked because a certain guy, I won't tell his name, comes up here at least 3 times a day to get food." She replied looking pointedly at him.

"What can I say? You should be flattered, it means he likes your cooking."

"Yeah sure"

He smiled.

"So, what brings here so early in the morning?"

"So early? It's past eleven o'clock sleepyhead."

"That much? I haven't even noticed." Xiaoyu said, surprised "And I am **not** a sleepyhead."

"Riiight" Jin said smirking.

She pouted and Jin laughed. They had become more and more close along the weeks so that Jin was not the cold and secretive person he used to be anymore, now he was more relaxed and kept joking around with the young Chinese woman he had come to like a very lot lately.

"Anyway, I wanted to know if you had any plans for lunch?" He asked while leaning on the counter just before her.

"Depends. Is that an invitation?"

"Could be. So, what do you say?"

"I got nothing planned for the whole afternoon."

"Really? So you're all mine?"

"Y-eah, I'm all yours"

They were joking of course but when the words came out of their mouths it seemed that the topic of the conversation was not the same anymore. They were looking intently at each other as if they were not talking about spending an afternoon together anymore. Then Xiaoyu broke the eye contact, turning to look at the dishes in the sink.

'_Why does he have to do that? Why does he have to be that hot? I swear if he…' _

Her thoughts were interrupted when Jin moved closer to her from behind and casually curled his arm around her neck. He bent his head and whispered in her ear.

"Well, that's good to hear."

She still wasn't sure if they were talking about lunch.

"So, now…" He started while leading her out of the kitchen his arm still around her. "How about you get dressed so we can go? I mean, I really like your pajamas but you know, it's not what could be called 'decent clothes' to go out" He finished grinning.

"Haha, very funny" She unwillingly untangled herself from his grip. "I'll get dressed" She whispered, narrowing her eyes at him.

"And don't be long." Jin added teasingly.

Xiaoyu just turned to stick her tongue out at him while Jin smiled and settled down on "his" old couch.

---

Xiaoyu finally walked out of the bathroom fully dressed with her hair in a loose bun. She walked in the lounge and found Jin fast asleep.

"Look who's the sleepyhead now" she said with one hand on her hip.

His eyes snapped open at the sound of Xiaoyu's voice who started giggling. Jin stood up, looked at her and cleared his throat trying to regain composure.

"Took you long enough"

"Well, we girls need time." Xiaoyu stated as a matter-of-fact

"I don't think you need that much." Jin simply answered, staring closely at her. Again she had a feeling the conversation had changed and she felt stupidly glad that he thought she didn't need a lot of time to be good-looking.

"So, shall we go now?" He asked and extended his arm to her

Xiaoyu took his arm and smiled softly. "Yes"

---

_They had lunch and spent the whole afternoon together. It was past six in the evening when they finally came back at Xiaoyu's. _

_---_

"Wow! I'm feeling sooo exhausted" Xiaoyu exclaimed as soon as she entered the apartment and slumped on the couch. Jin watched her with a smirk.

"If someone were hearing you they could think we did something else than just hang around in the town."

"Well guess what? At this very moment I don't care!"

He came closer to her and laid his hands on her shoulders. She shuddered at his touch and especially when he leaned over.

"Just relax" he said while slightly massaging her tired shoulders, "I'll go and get us some tea ok?"

"Mmm" Xiaoyu answered with closed eyes while Jin started heading for the kitchen.

Two minutes later a soft hand laid on Jin' shoulders and surprised him. He turned around and found himself only inches from Xiaoyu's face. She had loosened up her hair and she was smiling slightly to him, Jin suddenly couldn't help but stare as she started to speak.

"Ey sorry I just rememb…"

Next thing Xiaoyu knew, Jin's lips were on hers.

**TBC …**

* * *

**A/N : **Here's the kiss ! Good or not ? 


	9. Loss of control

Hi guys! I made a big effort and I've written a BIG chapter for this update, it is chapter 9 in two parts.  
You know what? I can't thank you enough for the reviews you send me, they keep me writing!  
I hope you'll like this chapter, the first part is a little bit "hot"...you'll see ;)

_

* * *

_

_Chapter nine__ (part one)_

"_Ey sorry I just rememb…"_

_Next thing Xiaoyu knew, Jin's lips were on hers._

_--------_

It felt like pure bliss.

At first Xiaoyu was shocked and she stayed still, savouring the taste of Jin's sweet lips. But it only took a few seconds for her body to react; she kissed him back and brought her hands slowly up his chest and around his neck.

As a response, Jin pulled her body closer to his and deepened the kiss. At first it was sweet and gentle, but soon it went the more and more passionate and their movements started being uncontrollable as if they couldn't control themselves. Jin pushed Xiaoyu with his body and they both fell on the kitchen table. Xiaoyu hit it with a loud moan and tucked her legs to allow a better position.

At that moment, nothing else mattered to Jin than the feel of Xiaoyu's body against him and the way it perfectly fitted.

His hands started roaming over her clothes to find the skin and he managed to slide a hand under her shirt. The simple contact made Xiaoyu arched her back against him, his hand felt like fire that radiated through her whole body. She moaned loudly in his mouth, breaking the kiss at the same time. Jin left her lips and started tracing a path of wet kisses down her jaw line to her neck and up to her mouth again. Xiaoyu's eyes rolled over in her head as she gasped with pleasure. He captured her lips again in a burning kiss, making her close her eyes.

She slowly ran her tongue over his upper lip… he gently nibbled on her lower one … her small hands came up his chest to start unbuttoning his black T-shirt … his hand went higher and …

"OH MY FRIGGIN' GOD !"

Xiaoyu's eyes snapped open at the sound. She blinked several times before her mind registered that it was the sound of a voice and that it belonged to a oh-so-familiar man. She blinked again as another voice added to the first one and she recognized it as Jin's though it came out low and hoarse.

"See…I told you to keep the door closed."

**TBC …**

* * *

**A/N : **Very short I know but check out part two ! 


	10. New Hwoarang and old Jin

Part two !

* * *

_Chapter nine (part two)_

"_OH MY FRIGGIN' GOD !" _

_Xiaoyu's eyes snapped open at the sound. She blinked several times before her mind registered that it was the sound of a voice and that it belonged to a oh-so-familiar man. She blinked again as another voice added to the first one and she recognized it as Jin's though it came out low and hoarse._

"_See…I told you to keep the door closed."_

_----------_

Xiaoyu felt cold all of a sudden and she couldn't really say if it was because her brain was starting to put a face under the familiar voice and she didn't like it or because Jin's warm body was not on her anymore.

"Oh shit"

She managed to straighten up even though her body felt weak after what had just happened. She searched Jin's eyes before turning around and found them strangely reassuring; Jin didn't seem uncomfortable or willing to sink his head in the floor or else he was hiding it very very well.

Xiaoyu quickly stood up and turned around to find a horrified Hwoarang with eyes as big as saucers. She looked at him and forced a smile.

"Err…Hwoa, what you doing here?"

Xiaoyu's voice seemed to bring him back to reality. He blinked several times.

"What am…what am I…what am **I** doing here ?? What the hell were **you two** doing here !"

"We were just…just" Xiaoyu stammered

"Further in making out" Jin finished for her with a grin

"WHAT!" Hwoarang closed his eyes out of frustration "I'm talking to Xiaoyu there so you'd better stay out of that Kazama cause I think you've done way enough!!" Hwoarang shouted at Jin.

"Hwoa!" Xiaoyu said loudly but he didn't seem to hear her. "Hwoarang!"

"What!"

"Would you calm down!"

"That's the second time you're asking me to calm down darling and in a situation when I just CAN'T!" He almost yelled at her. (A/N : cf chapter 7)

Jin stepped in.

"Ey talk to the lady properly alright?"

"Don't tell me what to do"

Jin started moving forward but Xiaoyu stopped him. "Just don't" Then she turned back to 'Fuming Hwoarang'.

"Hwoa, we will **not** have this conversation until you calm down"

"You put a little hot show before my eyes with Spiky-boy and you expect me to be _cool_ with it?"

"This wouldn't have happened if you had knocked!" Xiaoyu replied.

"Well I DID! 4 TIMES! That's why I came in!"

"Oh…" Xiaoyu was at loss of words and she looked at Jin so he would help her. She was puzzled once she heard his words.

"Look Redhead, I don't like you but I'm kinda sorry for you that you saw that so what I propose is you go and wait for Xiao outside, let her recover a little and she'll join you in a few minutes to explain." Jin used a very low and slow voice as if talking to a child.

Hwoarang was shocked too by Jin's tone and his seeming calm in the situation. For a moment he was speechless.

"Is that okay with you?" Jin asked.

"Err…yeah, yeah ok." Hwoarang answered, hypnotized, but soon he regained consciousness. "But I'm not finished with you Kazama" He said, pointing at Jin. He then turned to Xiaoyu and added "Don't take long."

With that, Hwoarang was out the kitchen and the apartment. Xiaoyu let out the breath she didn't know she was holding and leaned against the counter heavily.

Jin frowned and got closer to her. "Hey, are you okay?"

She nodded her head and forced a smile, "Yeah I'm fine…Look Jin, I.."

"Don't. We'll talk later. Just go out or he'll go crazy." He smiled at her but she could detect a little unease in it. She smiled back '_ At least I'm no the only one confused about all this.'_

"Okay I'm going."

She was starting exiting the room when Jin stopped her.

"Hey hum Xiao"

"Yeah?"

"Your…your t-shirt" He looked down smiling uneasily.

Xiaoyu looked at it and blushed.

"Oh"

One side had stayed up, stuck in her bra so that a big part of her belly was revealed, remembering her of Jin's hand laying on that part of her body a few minutes before. She quickly rolled it back down.

"Ok, I'll be back soon."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that with him."

She smiled and exited the room.

---

Xiaoyu went out her building and found Hwoarang waiting for her as Jin had told him. He was face to her so he saw her arrive.

"At last" he said once she was close enough to hear. He looked at her then away and grimaced.

"Hwoarang!" she exclaimed shocked.

"What?" He seemed really annoyed.

"You're looking at me as if I were a whore!"

He sighed deeply and lifted his hand to massage his temple.

"Yeah I'm sorry it's just…I just have all these images in my head and, trust me, it's confusing." He made a weak smile.

"I bet it is"

"Yeah, I mean you're still a little girl to me you shouldn't be doing these kind of…things"

"Hwoa, I'm 22"

"21"

"And a half!"

"Not quite yet"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Let's come to the point".

"Ok. Why were you and Kazama playing doctor and nurse in that kitchen?"

"Doctor and ..whatever. I don't know, it just…happened."

"Happened? What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know it's just…one minute we're standing 5 meters away from each other and next thing I know I'm laying on my kitchen table almost having sex with him."

"Ow ow ow! Don't say such things! "Hwoarang said pretending to plug his ears.

Xiaoyu rolled her eyes. "You're so stupid."

"Yeah, well.." He seemed to reflect a bit. "So the guy practically jumped on you" Xiaoyu was about to object but he shushed her. "kind of flattering for you actually." He winked at her.

She rolled her eyes.

"At least was it good?"

"Hwoarang!"

"What! I'm making an effort trying to push away my disgust so : Did you like it or not?"

"……I was literally shaking with pleasure." The words spilled out of her mouth before she had time to prevent them and she quickly put a hand on her mouth while blushing.

Hwoarang closed his eyes. " You could have just said 'Yes Hwoarang I liked it'you know , much less cruel for me to hear."

Xiaoyu giggled a little. "Sorry, it just came out."

"Whatever" He looked at her closely. Despite the confused expression she had he could see that deep in her there was happiness, and though Hwoarang didn't like Jin, that's all he needed to see.

"Well you'd better go back in, don't wanna make your boyfriend wait."

She frowned. "We're not like that."

"Yeah sure, you just like to grope each other once in a while."

She blushed furiously and smacked him on the chest but he kept on talking. "Come on, don't be so shy about it Xiao"

"Stop it!" She tried to sound angry but her lips twitched up in a smile.

They both fell silent for a moment.

"Ok, I really should go now"

"Yep"

"You're sure you're okay?"

"I'm not gonna hang myself if that's what you mean…at least not yet"

"Come ooon, be serious!"

Hwoarang took her by the shoulders. "Xiao, I'm fine with it, I mean I accept the idea of you and Kazama kissing and everything, it was bond to happen anyway. The only thing that really messes up with my head is what my eyes witnessed tonight, I think I really need to get these images out of my mind…hard work." He hung down his head in mock despair and raised it back with a smirk dancing on his lips. For the third time Xiaoyu rolled her eyes. He laughed a little but became suddenly serious. " Just one thing, be careful. I don't wanna 'scrape you up off the road', as they say, like 3 years ago."

She nodded firmly. "Don't worry."

"Good." He straightened up. "Well, I guess we're finished now hmm?"

Xiaoyu nodded again.

"So good night, and behave yourself."

"Okay. Thanks daddy, I will." She teased him.

He narrowed her eyes at her. "You'd better"

She smiled "Bye Hwoa"

"See ya sunshine!" Then he turned and left on his bike.

Xiaoyu took a deep breath and went in the building.

-----

When she entered her apartment, she instantly noticed Jin for he was standing against the wall not too far away from the door. She smiled at him.

"Hey"

He smiled back but there was a slight change in his features.

"So how did it go?'

"Great, he's okay."

"That's good"

"Yeah well, rude evening huh?" Xiaoyu tried to lighten the mood for it seems there was a heavy tension in the room. She felt there was something wrong but she couldn't really place her finger on it.

"We can say that."

She searched in her head for something to say but he outstripped her.

"I should go, it's late and I'm feeling kinda tired. It's best we talk another day."

Xiaoyu felt anger slowly rising in her. She had expected them to talk, she **wanted** them to talk and she had thought he'd be willing to. And here he was, telling her that they could talk "another day", and another day meant never with Jin. Suddenly Xiaoyu knew. He was back in his old state : cold and insensitive Jin, running away from difficulties instead of facing them. Hwoarang's words echoed in her head 'Be careful Xiao, I don't wanna scrape you up off the road like 3 years ago.'

"Xiaoyu? Is it okay?" His voice felt so cold to her suddenly. _'No nickname'_ she thought

"No Jin, we need to talk about this **now**."

_**TBC…**_

* * *

**A/N : **I just thought that I might be a little cruel, what d'you think? Anyway, tell me what you think about this chapter ;) 


	11. Explanation

Hi all !

I am (finally and hopefully for good) back with a bunch of fresh new chapters. I haven't been updating Catching up for what seems like ages and I feel terrible about it. I never really stopped writing though, I just didn't take the time to come here and post the chapters. The truth is I have this small issue with perfection: I am almost never satisfied with what I write. Which means that I read over every chapter about a thousand times lol. But here I am anyway and I really hope you will enjoy the rest of the story!

I would like to send all my love to every single person who's reviewed, added my story to favorite/alert or just simply read it. You guys are plain awesome and what keeps me writing! Thank you so so so much! :)

xx

* * *

_Chapter 10_

"You know what? Nevermind. If you don't want to talk about it I am not going to pull it out of you so we might as well call it a night."

Xiaoyu made a move to storm out of the room but Jin quickly grabbed her arm.

"Xiao, wait."

She ignored the butterflies that had instatly started to flutter in her stomach at his touch and did her best to throw him what she thought was her angriest glare. He sighed sadly and she felt a pang of guilt.

"I was in Australia."

He paused and Xiaoyu momentarily forgot she was angry. What was he talking about? She knew about Australia. This whole argument wasn't about _that. _Or was it?...

"I know that." She finally said softly after a moment.

"I haven't told you why yet."

He paused again and this time she remained silent.

"It was…necessary. With everything that happened in my family and after Heihachi died I didn't really know where I stood anymore. I needed to go away for a while and forget all about it. I went there because my mom used to tell me about Australia all the time, saying that she'd take me one day."

As he spoke she recalled the time her own grandfather had told her Jin's mom had committed suicide because of her husband Kazuya, who had disappeared right after. Afterwards, living with Heihachi didn't make it any easier for Jin as he discovered his grandfather was as evil as his dad, if not more. Even though they were living together at the time Jin had never told Xioayu the whole story, he would only let small bits out when he was mad. But what she had collected about the Mishima family was frightening enough to prevent her from wanting to know more.  
Jin's voice snapped her out of her reverie. She noticed he had released her arm and was now facing the window.

"I know it wasn't fair to you, leaving without a word. You've always been there for me, supporting me even though I never did anything to deserve it. But…I think I didn't know what to say. I've never truly been close to anyone so I couldn't find the right words and I just left. I guess I selfishly assumed that you'd understand." He finally added.

So lost in the moment Xiaoyu almost jumped when his eyes met hers as he turned to her. She stopped breathing.

"I'm so sorry Xiao. I realize only now how much it must have hurt you. It's funny because all I wanted was in fact to protect you from being sad."

Xiaoyu's mouth felt dry and she blinked several times.

"I…I do understand Jin." She ventured. "I've never really been mad at you. I figured something was up, that you had a good reason. I suppose I was simply mad at myself for realizing too late I didn't mean that much to you."

She noticed Jin was about to say something so she raised her hand to stop him.

"No it's okay. I know it's not like that. It's just how it _felt_ like. But I'm so glad you're telling me this now, thank you."

She smiled full-heartedly and his mouth twitched upwards shyly.

They fell silent for a moment simply enjoying the moment. But soon the memories of the incident earlier began to crawl back in their mind. Xiaoyu's cheeks started to heat up.

"So.." She started.

"Maybe you should call the redhead, see if he hasn't hung himself or whatever."

"Again? Wait, you mean you care?" She teased.

"I mean I just want to avoid him rushing back here anytime soon. Cause I like him so much." Jin teased back.

Xiaoyu giggled. "Ok fine you're probably right anyway. I'll go check on him."

"Good."

Jin was feeling like a big weight had been taken off his shoulders. He felt somewhat relieved and something else he couldn't quite put his finger on yet. So this time, he let her leave the room.

_TBC..._


	12. Comfort

_Chapter 11_

"Well that's something."

Xiaoyu and Hwoarang were sitting on a bench at their usual spot: a small park halfway between his place and hers.

"I shouldn't be surprised he'd want to put things right though, he looked like he was rather enjoying himself back there."

"Hwoa!" Xiaoyu exclaimed, blushing.

"What?! I've been traumatized and I can't even joke about it? Gee, so unfair…"

Xiaoyu threw him a glare.

"Well you don't get to joke with _that. _It's not like you were supposed to see anything." She paused, hesitating. "And I'm still not comfortable with it anyway."

"Oh really?" Hwoarang asked with mocked surprise.

She glared at him once again, accusingly.

"Oh come on Xiao! We've been through this. This is what you've always dreamed of. You should be gloating not glooming."

"It's not that…"

He rolled his eyes at her.

"Please, evolve."

Xiaoyu opened her mouth like she was about to say something but then looked away, embarrassed. Hwoarang was starting to feel uncomfortable too. He didn't know how to deal with the whole situation. Comforting wasn't exactly his thing and jokes weren't working this time. But it was all he had. He was released from his mind-torturing when Xiaoyu finally blurted out what she has been holding.

"Well I don't know how to be around him anymore! I mean back then I knew you know, I mean we were living together and stuff! But…but now, well, I don't know. I don't know what I'm feeling and this whole thing is just messing with my head!"

Hwoarang blinked, stunned. She looked so upset and she was almost shaking. He smiled gently as he understood what this was really about.

"Hey," he tried as he put both his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to face at him, "I know I told you to be careful, but there's nothing to worry about you fool. He kissed you that means he likes you."

"You think?" She asked timidly.

He did all his best not to roll his eyes at her again. Xiaoyu saw this and quickly added.

"I mean maybe it's just that he hasn't had any real relationship since he left and we've spent a lot of time together recently since, you know, he has no friends, I mean none that I know of but…"

She was interrupted by a smack on the back of her head.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"Really? You have to ask?"

"Hwoarang…" She started threateningly.

"Don't you know Jin? His experience regarding relationships comes down to a peck on the cheek. Up until tonight the guy probably thought lips were only made for speaking! Jesus you are so stupidly in love." He shook his head in disbelief.

"I am not!"

"Please…" He snorted.

Xiaoyu ignored him.

"That still doesn't mean anything."

"Then go find out! Really Xiao you know I don't like the guy but you obviously do and if you don't do anything about it you're gonna be miserable. And I'm gonna have to kick his ass."

She looked at him mischieviously.

"Don't get the wrong idea, I don't care. It's just that I can't sexually harass you when you're like that."

He winked at her and she chuckled. "You're impossible."

"That's why you love me!"

"I guess." She answered, still chuckling. "Thank you Hwoa, I really mean it."

She smiled and reached for her purse before standing up.

"I suppose I should set you free now."

Standing up too, Hwoarang pretended to sigh heavily.

"Yeah about time!" Then added more seriously after a moment. "You'll always be top priority Xiao."

Her smile grew bigger.

"Gee you're such a smooth-talker!"

When Xiaoyu finally came home it was almost midnight. She felt so glad school was over for the holidays because otherwise she would'nt have been able to wake up in just a few hours.  
She lazily threw her jacket on the couch and dragged herself to the bathroom where she intended to take a long warm well-deserved shower.

In the intimacy of the small cubicle Xiaoyu let her mind wander through the whole evening once again. She thought about what Hwoarang had said "_he kissed you that means he likes you_". Curiously, this deduction hadn't brought her the relief and content she expected. "_He likes you_". She suddenly realized that _this_ wasn't enough. What did it mean exactly? Xiaoyu didn't want Jin to _like_ her. She wanted him to see her the way she saw him when they were only teenagers. This love she had felt for him, would it always remain unfulfilled? Jin had said it earlier, he had never been close to anyone. Maybe now that he was at peace he would start being close with a bunch of people, people with nice breasts she was sure. This thought was so infuriating. She knew she should feel happy for him, but part of her wanted to be selfish. Truth was Xiaoyu was unconfident about Jin's feelings for her. Period.  
Annoyed and not at all relaxed, she turned off the water and got out to dry herself. She put her panties on, wrapped her towel around her chest and went for the kitchen to drown her misery with ice cream. She roughly pulled the container out of the ice compartment, opened it and attacked the smooth surface with her finger.

"At least there's one need I can fill." She said out loud, pouting fiercely.

"Who are you talking to?"

The sound of Jin's voice made Xiaoyu jump so hard she almost lost balance. She swirled around to face him, ready to scold him about almost giving her a heartattack when she suddenly realized that, in her brisk movement, her towel had loosened around her breasts. Panicking, she pulled up her arms as fast as she could in an attempt to keep it in place but it was too late. It landed flatly at her feet before she could do anything.

Xiaoyu watched the thing with horror as she took in what had just happened.

This time, Jin's eyes grew like saucers.

She should really start locking that door…

_TBC..._


	13. All you need is a best friend

Back for more! I'm going to update faster I promise!  
Thank you so so much for the support.

xx

* * *

Chapter 12

Xiaoyu quickly picked up the towel from the floor and considered jumping out of the window for a few seconds.

"What are you doing here?!" She burst out while nervously wrapping the towel back around her body tightly.

Coming to his senses Jin spun around.

"I-I'm sorry!" He exclaimed, feeling a warmth creeping up his body. "Door was unlocked, I just wanted to check on you."

"Well close your eyes! I'm going to the bedroom."

He couldn't help it. "Is it really necessary _now_?"

Xiaoyu turned purple.

"Don't make me hurt you Kazama." She muttered to his back and flew towards the bedroom.

Jin watched the bedroom door close with a strange feeling. Kazama. She used to call him like that before when she'd get frustrated with him, and that happened a lot. Hearing it again after all this time pleased him in a way he couldn't quite identify. He couldn't help but note she was probably the only person who could do that to him just by saying his name. Images from earlier this evening came back to his mind but he quickly shook them off. What had taken him? The feel of her body against his had almost burned. And now that he had seen it…  
Suddenly becoming aware of the direction his train of thoughts was taking Jin started looking around for the remote of the TV.

Meanwhile, Xiaoyu was weighing the possibility of never leaving her bedroom. 'Why do these things always happen to me? Life must hate me'. She moaned with frustration and buried her face in her hands. She wondered how much he saw…which reminded her she was still half-naked. Rummaging through her closet she couldn't believe how much had happened in one single day. She randomly picked grey sweat pants and a loose t-shirt and put them on. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply and loosened her hair before walking out of the door.

When she came back to the living room Jin was watching TV. He looked hot as ever…and she was wearing sweat pants. Xiaoyu hung her head in defeat. 'Of all the clothes…' she thought frustrated again. She sighed and he lifted up his gaze at her, noticing her presence. He stared at her intently from head to toe.

"If you laugh I kill you."

Jin chuckled softly. '_Not what I had in mind_.'

"What's with all the threats?"

Xiaoyu fell on the couch next to him. "Can you please forget about everything that happened tonight?" she pleaded.

He thought about it for a moment. "I'm not sure…"

Their eyes met and Xiaoyu felt nervous again.

"Well…" He started, his eyes still on her. "I should probably let you sleep."

"O-okay" She couldn't think, he was suddenly way too close and his eyes were not leaving hers.

Just when she was starting to feel her heart pound in her chest, Jin broke the eye contact and stood up.

"Goodnight Xiao" he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

She didn't realize he was gone until she heard the significant 'click' of the door.

* * *

Xiaoyu woke up the next morning feeling exhausted. She hadn't even dared to look at the time when she had finally gone to sleep. She lazily got out of bed and dragged herself directly to the bathroom.  
The morning went pretty quickly after that. She fixed herself a bowl of cereals and watched some TV wondering what she could do on the afternoon. The truth was she was dying to go over to Jin's but she was still too embarrassed about last night. She decided to call Miharu instead. Her best friend had left for Australia a few months ago with her Australian boyfriend Mike. They had met here when he was on a course and had been living a long-distance relationship ever since he had returned to his homeland. But as they were getting more and more serious Miharu had started to look for a job in Sydney in order to get to him so they could really be together. And save the money spent on plane tickets. Thinking about it made Xiaoyu feel guilty, she hadn't called Miharu often since Jin's return. Of course Miharu never held it against her because she was also very busy and tired but Xiaoyu suddenly missed her friend. She quickly grabbed the phone, dialed the number and waited.  
Miharu picked up at the first tone.

"Xiao!"

"Oh Mi I'm so glad to hear your voice!" Xiaoyu exclaimed, and then quickly added, "Are you at work? Is it okay for you to talk?"

"It's fine, it's fine I took a day off! I've been meaning to call you for weeks! How are you? No wait. What's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"You sound miserable."

Xiaoyu laughed. '_Nothing like a best friend_' she thought.

"Please come back," she whined and she heard Miharu clap happily.

"Oooh I want to know e-very-thing!"

And so Xiaoyu told her the whole story, from the not-so-accidental kiss to the towel incident while Miharu commented everything mostly with Aahs and Oohs.

"Oh my god this is so great!" she finally exclaimed excitedly.

"No it's awful. I don't know what to do."

"He is sooo attracted to you!" She continued as if she hadn't heard her.

"He is not."

"He kissed you." She retorted.

"That doesn't mean anything."

"Yes, because people mouthkiss to say 'hi'."

"But what am I supposed to do Mi! It's _Jin_!" Xiaoyu almost shrieked.

"First you need to stop damaging my hearing."

"Very funny."

Miharu sighed. "Enjoy it Xiao! Jin hurt you in the past, but it wasn't on purpose. He's obviously been through some stuff. Plus he came back, apologized and it seemed like he really meant it. Trust me, not every guy has the decency to do this. You worry too much, just enjoy and see where it goes."

Xiaoyu sighed too, "You're right. Things always seem so complicated to me. Maybe I should let go for once."

"Exactly. Just do whatever you want. What you really want. You've been holding up for too long."

"Thanks Mi. I miss you so much."

"Me too, I really miss girly time" Miharu said sadly.

"Why don't you come here for a weekend? For a whole week?"

"I have to talk to my boss about it but that would be so great!"

"Oh sure!" Xiaoyu felt suddenly guilty that the conversation had only been about her. "Is everything okay at work? And with Mike?"

"Oh everything's perfect don't you worry about me. Mike's coming to pick me up so we can spend the day together."

Even though they had been dating for 3 years, Miharu wanted Mike and her to have their own place in Sydney at first. She didn't want to rush things because she wanted their relationship to work so much. Xiaoyu was glad to hear the happiness in her friend's voice.

"That's super great!" she answered, "I'll let you get ready then. Enjoy your day off!"

"I will. And you, text me every spicy details you hear me?"

"I promise! Say hi to Mike!"

"Call you soon!"

Xiaoyu hung up the phone with a smile on her face. Talking to Miharu had made her feel more confident. Moreover, her best friend was right : she worried too much. It was a fact. She had to think about every consequence her actions could hypothetically have, and she usually ended up with a major headache. But not today.

She quickly got to the door and firmly walked over to Jin's.

_TBC_...


End file.
